itdoesntmatterwhatthissay

Hutton has made his last guaranteed start for the club and Heskey will be off. It's a great day/

Mad to not go for AVB, older players are not in the same class as Drogba so can **** right off if they try and unsettle the style, KMac would complement his type of play and we already are the project that he was trying to achieve at Chelsea. Could be the best thing ever that his reputation was tarnished, ahhh speculation in a foreign language, brilliant!

Yah I saw this, it is a great way to market but it leads me to think I'll be a PS4 man next time around. They are trying to be innovative but if this is part of the masterplan that also has them stopping second hand games then I am out. I paid £80 for my 360 3 years ago, modded a harddrive for £30, created a wireless system for £12 and never pay much for games or my Xbox live subscription. It used to be a reason for me to stay with Microsoft but if they take the open approach away I think a lot of people will leave. You cant argue at their efforts to reach consumers and offerings to 'jump in'.

Loads of reasons, great young players that have been taught how to play properly, a manager that won't make it to the end of next year unless we do well, which is good for us. and useless guys leaving. And we survived! Future gets brighter whenever the old crappy guys are pushed out.....shame Hutton isn't one of them.

Not entirely sure, I may try and get a ticket to a match or just go to soak up the atmosphere. I'm quite excited to finally have a proper manager in control of England. Have lots of family in Poland and the language barrier shouldn't be an issue....not in Poland anyway...will have to be a phrasebook in Ukraine.

Not delusion it's financial sense; you secure the future of your club if you get the right manager and so you choose them as only options. Both market values show that you could tempt them, especially as Hitzfeld is not having a great time in his job and Klopp is on a lower salary than Eck; offer Klopp 40% more that he is on and allow him to take control as O'Neil did (German players are underrated and on lower wages than English ones) and suddenly you can get a guy thinking he could do with a new challenge in a bigger league. You go all in on either capacity, I believe they call it ambition rather than delusion, delusion is for the underprepared. Did you ever think Newcastle would sign all the guys they signed? It was real life Football Manager and it shows with the right attitude, understanding and approach anything is possible. I don't feel our club is beyond that.

Since he came back he has been my favourite player, a thinking defender and by god do we need one of them. He has worked hard, used his body excellently in making up for his lack of raw pace (and seems to be getting better at it with every game), he is also happy to make a pass and understands how to cover for mistakes and wandering players. All as a right footer of the left. He can't be criticised too much for his lack of forward ability because actually he does have some, but he is an uncomplicated player, plays on the wrong side and so has shown some caution instead of comfort. He has done excellently and it's a shame Warnock didn't get the nod with Hutton being dropped, I think Lichaj has most definitely deserved to play his natural right back position on the last day of the season.

I'd be happy if we rebuilt the club and ended up with 40 points or so next year with Kevin MacDonald being manager. It would be cost effective, would see older guys leaving and young guys playing the tactic that allowed the to progress to the first team (eventually), create team harmony, good football and allow us to truly decide who has a future and who should be moved on. The middle ground for me is another gamble and while Lambert is great for me it would depend on wages, Pardew proved with the right scouting network and gambles you can prove astute in the foreign market even if your previous record says you're not prolific. Otherwise my list would include one or two impossibles and I would move hell and high water to get them with a rebuild as my other option. Moyes would be there with Hitzfeld and Klopp. We need someone who is a tactician, someone who can make players feel brilliant and someone who knows football; that just hasn't been the case in recent times....haven't Swansea got one of them...

Yup, couldn't agree more. And the waving of the arms whenever the ball sailed over his head probably got a few more people to realise 'Eck is tactically incompetent.

I get quite frustrated with the night-life and find it pretty drab in comparison to places such as Manchester or Bristol. There are good places and fun bars but nothing that seems to consistently entertain. It seems places like The Jam House and Snobs steal many regulars past 1am and everywhere else is much of a muchness, or hideously pretentious. What I like, especially in Manchester and London is that they're not worried about clustering a cultural area together for social value and then hoping it creates a sustainable income in the way of nightlife or entertainment. Inevitably it does but in Birmingham we seem to be less inclined to do it unless there is a big backer. To me Digbeth has been wasted for too long; its layout would complement many of Birmingham's future development projects. The council has an opportunity to create a cluster of social income which in sustainable terms is much better than encouraging chance redevelopment, but hey ho, going out with 6 Spanish girls offsets going to Snobs....they took me to Gatecrasher two weeks ago....good god that place is horrific. I love the food in Brum, and the people! And some of the parks! Love the market too!

Well yes and no....part of a full story anyone? Asda lease the exterior of the Leisure Centre and the car park, they are responsible for the maintenance. In 2006? Advantage West Midlands bought it from the Villa and looked at using the land for an Olympic pool or any innovative ideas. Recently a wider plan for the area was established and B1 offices/high tech industry will be built on the Serpentine site and many other larger sites surrounding it. The Arena was damaged in 2007 and again in 2009 because of Asda's negligence on maintenance responsibilities. Roof leaking; that lead to much of the interior being damaged. This is still an issue and neither AWM, HCA or Birmingham Council bothered to bring Asda to task on their negligence. This was again an issue recently when the Arena was burgled because Asda's contractors forgot to activate the alarm on the security doors they were forced to fit. (by the HCA) They fit new ones again and once again, haven't bothered to activate the alarm despite it being part of their lease agreement. The Arena is in fine working order but in general it looks tired and is badly damaged because of the roof leaks. Some leaks still remain in the main Arena but the current occupier is doing well to stop them being an issue. Some investment was usually directed in the way of 45k from Aston Villa for parking but this stopped a few years back, about the time the damage occurred, and now the HCA takes the money for its operational costs. If it's tired it's because the council trusted it to idiots and then put someone good in when they needed someone to 'mind' it. It isn't a diamond in the rough in terms of glamour but it is in in terms of community value. The events, Verve and Oasis for example (good one and yes its was the AV Leisure Centre), and trade shows etc would offset the costs for community groups that would use the leisure, sports and education facilities and thus support an area that needs an outlet for engagement. It could also use the land by the tavern for outdoor sports and due to the access soon to be created to Salford Park would be able to support water sports too. I agree redevelopment is a good thing but the overall plan is a 10-20 year one and there is no guarantee the new provision would cater to the community, rather the business that would surround it. I love redevelopment but hate wasteful planning. The social club is going which will create better access to the site beside the Arena and access in front of the Arena will not be opened until 2020-25 when they sell the land in front. I believe The Aston Tavern has been offered to someone losing a pub but it's a bit of a mess and will probably go. The community is strong in Aston but it is fairly fragmented with a strong West Indian, Somali, Pakistani, Polish and Indian representation.

So it seems the AAP/RIS plan has gone through and the Serpentine site (car park near Villa park) is to be sold off (soon) and regenerated. I was wondering if anyone had any interest in that (anyone local), or whether anyone on here uses the Arena, or is part of an organisation that might want to? Has anyone had any joy influencing the council? Or maybe just wants to comment/ask questions about the site/get involved somehow. I'm part of a Community Interest Company (CIC) trying to save the Arena from the bulldozers and while I've been trying to cover all angles of support people on here are usually pretty astute. So far we are trying to work with the council and the HCA to keep it in the community but for us to save the Arena it'll take a bit more than ourselves to be part of the process. The Arena itself is damaged due to Asda's lease negligence and that has made it economically stifled but in reality its a great building that can host any number of events and community endeavours; its just been let down by the council, by Asda, a little by AWM (but at least they tried) and definitely the HCA. Bit and bobs are available at the facebook page if anyone is interested; but I'd welcome input on here. https://www.facebook.com/AstonArena

Panic should be running through the Villa camp; good job we have the calming influence of a top notch manager...

£152.02 Thanks to all the charitable Villa and Chelsea fans!

Thanks to everyone (if there is anyone on here) who donated money to Leukaemia Care while walking to Villa Park it was hugely appreciated and I will have a full total on Monday when I can be bothered to count it all. Thanks again.

I have spoken to Leukaemia Care and they are happy for us to collect donations on the Serpentine site (car park behind Aston Church) that many people park on; feel free to throw us your change if you use the cap park or come down and donate.......it's very close. We are part of a Community Interest Company that is trying to save the Aston Arena (formerly Aston Villa Leisure Centre) from being closed down so have use of the site anyway. Though we don't have official buckets Leukaemia Care have sent me their logo so we will be using that on the donation tins. Sometimes unscrupulous sorts also 'collect' money so this is the website and logo we shall be using. The Charity number should be on it too. http://www.leukaemiacare.org.uk/

On the surface it isn't because at least he will work hard and give us a team outlet; perhaps we should be aiming higher but I do agree that it's nothing to really grumble about.

I'm not quite sure how a 5'9" quasi-winger is basically a Heskey replacement. It is a tactical replacement not a player for player replacement.

Hell, if he wants to play and tries his hardest we will love him no matter how gash he is.

I am going tomorrow, I've never seen the horses. Going with an Aussie who loves them so it should be a fun affair. Think I should trawl through this thread for a few tips.

I don't mind Hughes apart from his belief that he didn't need to earn his reputation and is good enough to pick and choose jobs. I hate QPR for what they did to Warnock and that's why I want them down. After watching their documentary it's clear they haven't really learnt that much.

Player? Attacker? or striker? What do you think he is good at and how does that help the team? Honestly interested to know.

Where are you getting your stats from, Trent? The BBC web site tells a slightly different story. It's hard to argue that we didn't dominate this game and in the end got a deserved win. It was a great performance and we tried very hard to force the play. After half time we settled and thats when they took control, when we push high we play well. Shame about the subs comment after the game but lets be honest if he sets them out to play football in this way every week we will be a much happier bunch.

Late to say yey to the goal but I can't not post I told you so, just like the many others that have said the same thing. McLeish is a tit though, the interview afterwards when he mentioned giving the fans the subs they wanted basically shows he is having trouble swimming in the deep end. Three players who we have been craving to see get minutes and then combine to win the game, he shouldn't be bitter he should say that the players are showing the right desire to be played and they are ready for more responsibility that he will give them....(and then actually play them!!!!!!) Goals mean games so hopefully we can see what those youth kids have been taught by the overlooked youth team hero KMac.

This league might suit him because he is a strong guy with a good desire to support attacks rather than carry them; basically a Heskey replacement which means we know what tactic is coming next year. Sad times but a plan at the least...